for every ending, a new beginning
by charbrose
Summary: for some things to begin, others have to end/ or for peter and shuri, the endgame isn't the end at all


_a/n: there are endgame spoilers in this fic, so if you haven't seen it, don't read this. this is a companion piece to my first peter/shuri fic she hit you like a bang. it's not necessary to read that before reading this, just know peter and shuri met pre-infinity war. some dialogue from the film is used and obviously i don't own it._

* * *

**~*~for every ending, a new beginning~*~**

**pairing: peter parker/shuri udkau**

**fandom: avengers: endgame**

**summary: for some things to begin, others have to end/ or for peter and shuri, the endgame isn't the end at all**

**rating: t**

* * *

_and so say the lord, for everything a reason_

_for every ending, a new beginning_

_for everything a reason – carina round_

He shouldn't be thinking _it_ – how beautiful _she _looks – not here, not now. He doesn't want to think about _this_, about what it took for him to see her again, in person. He doesn't want to be here at all. He'd rather be anywhere else in the world, something he thought would never happen because she's _here_, and how could he want to be anywhere but where she is?

They haven't seen each other in person, been in the same place since... Suddenly his throat is too tight, his heart feels like it's being squeezed in a vice, the muscles contracting in a constricting way he's never felt and he can barely breathe.

His eyes go blurry and he bows his head, lips trembling, as he wills the sobs he can feel rising to stop.

He takes in a shaky breath, eyes opening to see the slender figure of Miss Potts – no – he shakes his head, he's sure it's _Mrs. Stark_ now – kneeling at he edge of the dock and he can see a wreath floating in the water. He feels like he's going to throw up, his stomach churning violently in a way it never has before, not even when he and Ned ate three Nathan's hot dogs in a row before going on The Cyclone, not even when he was still getting used to his powers after the bite and everything was different, his senses on such an overload, he thought he might be dying.

How could _this_ have happened?

He doesn't register May's hand – slender and warm – on his shoulder, then drifting to his back, rubbing in soothing circles, he just _remembers_.

Remembers seeing Mr. Stark... _Tony_ – on the battlefield – after Doctor Strange had done his yellow sparkly thing and suddenly they were _back_, how he started babbling, talking faster than he even knew he was capable of... _remember when we were in space and i got all dusty? i must have passed out or something cause i woke up and you were gone, but doctor strange was there, right? he was like "it's been five years. come on, they need us!" and then he started doing the yellow sparkly thing he does all the time..._

And then, suddenly, he was enveloped into Tony's arms, the older man holding him close and breathing him in, like he couldn't believe he was _back_, like he had been waiting for _this_.

_this is nice_... his startled mumble, because, what? Tony was _actually_ hugging him. Wow.

When it's over, the service and whatnot, Peter doesn't _actually_ know. His eyes must have shut again because May's touch is gone and he sees – through still blurry eyes – everyone, every _hero_ the world has ever known – dispersing and going inside the house. Mrs. Stark is standing at the doorway with Happy and Mr. Rhodes and holding her hand is a little girl in a black dress with dark hair and dark eyes, tilting her head just _so_ and inside those dark eyes is _something_... something intelligent even though they're dim and there's the _jut_ of her chin – defiant but a soft edge all at the same time – a thoughtfulness he'd know _anywhere_ and he doesn't have to ask, he _knows_.

And, yeah, he shouldn't be crying... He shouldn't be feeling like he's underneath a building again because _she_ lost her father, her mother – still somehow everything he knew Pepper Potts [Stark] to be, elegance and grace personified – lost her husband and who was he? Just some fake intern Tony had sort of, kind of vaguely taken under his wing so he didn't kill himself out of complete stupidity because 99% of the time he was in over his head, thinking he was a hero, an Avenger when he was really just some kid running around in a onsie.

* * *

"Peter," He expects it to be May, but it's not... Right now – right here, among all of _this_ – she wouldn't have called him Peter, anyway. It would have been _pete _or _baby_. Soft, deep eyes stare back and _god_ he'd do anything right now to make them _sparkle_ like he remembers. He doesn't want her to look at him like _that_, like, she's sad for _him_ because she shouldn't be. He didn't lose his whole world, that little girl – the one with the dark hair and the same eyes and chin – she _did_.

"Don't." Spat like something bitter, his head shaking adamantly. "_Don't_." He repeats when her petal lips open, like she's about to say something and he's gone, taking off in the opposite direction before she can react.

"Usisi," There's the familiar low but warm vibration of her brother's voice in Shuri's ear, his large hand at the small of her back and she sucks in a deep breath, trembling hands reaching for the clasp of the cape around her shoulders. He stops her before her fingers can undo the clasp and her eyes flash defiantly at his. "He is grieving."

"He should not be alone," Insistent as Shuri struggles to blink back tears. "Let the boy come to you," There's the sage tone of Umama. "It is all so raw right now, intombazana yakho."

A shaky exhale and all Shuri knows is the familiar warmth of her Umama's arms.

* * *

It's been a few weeks since then... The suit hanging limply in his closet, every time he catches a glimpse of the red and blue, he slams the door shut with shaking hands. He's back at school with Ned and MJ, Delmar's is still there and the Kimoyo – sitting in the exact place he left it – lights up on occasion, but he doesn't swipe up like Shuri taught him. He just lets it light up until it dims. He shouldn't talk to her, shouldn't be trying to get close to her like he had been before _everything_.

She shouldn't be trying, either, he thinks shaking his head as he moves his toothbrush over his teeth. It's not a good idea. If they get close, they'll fall and then they could lose each other. It's better this way. Even if they never held hands or kissed.

"Kid," There's a gruff tone from the doorway to his bedroom. A tone he would know anywhere. _Happy_. "Hey," A softer edge which makes Peter look up from his feet. He swallows thickly taking in Happy's appearance. He's still wearing the suit he always had but he's lost weight, like, _a lot_ and of course he has. He's been grieving, too. And at the same time, he's been trying to hold everything together, to take care of the family – Pepper and Morgan – that Tony left behind.

"I have school," Tumbles from Peter's mouth eventually, making a wry smile cross the older man's lips. "Not today. You're with me. Don't try to argue or put up a fight. May..." He stumbles, clearing his throat awkwardly, and are his cheeks red? _Wait, what_? "Your _Aunt_," Emphasis on the word. "Gave me permission to drag you out of here over my shoulder if I had to. Put some clothes on. I'll be waiting."

"I can't go back _there_." Shaky and thick. "I... I... _won't_."

"This isn't what The Boss... _Tony_ would want for you, okay? So chin up, butter cup and let's go."

"You don't know that, none of us know what he would want. He.. He wasn't... It" He can't breathe, the tears are coming fast and thick, his whole body shaking as he slides against the wall in the hallway, curling up on himself. "I had _it_," He manages through his constricting throat. "The glove thing... It was in _my_ hands, then I was stumbling and _they_ were going to get me, Mrs. Stark was there she said it was okay and then there was the glowing lady... I could've done _something_," An angry swipe of his eyes. "The spider bite and stuff, I guess, I don't know. I could've _tried_, though! And I didn't! He wasn't supposed to..." He can't even get the word out, but there's Happy hugging him tightly, his hand at the back of his head, fingers lightly running through his hair.

When the crying finally subsides Peter doesn't really know but there's Happy face redder than he's ever seen, barely restrained anger coiling through his body and in a voice Peter never heard the gruff but affable chauffeur use, tells the young hero, "I'm gonna stop you right _there_, Parker. If you had so much as even tried to put that thing on, Tony would have ripped your whole arm off. Then he would have ripped the other one off to make sure you didn't get any other bright ideas. If he even thought, that's where your head was at, he would have found some way to take your spider-ass out, okay? He knew what he was doing, the price he would pay. He wouldn't have let you make that sacrifice."

Peter starts to say something but Happy quickly cuts him off. "Wipe your nose, put on some clothes and let's go."

"Yes, sir." The teenager grumbles as he walks back into his bedroom.

* * *

Peter really doesn't want to be _here_, the last time he was still so fresh in his mind... Walking into the house – even weeks later – there's the faint hint of motor oil in the air, and he's crazy because _that_ would be gone by now, and he should really just go because... Before he can come up with an excuse he feels something against his leg, nearly making him stumble backwards.

Looking down, there's a head of dark hair – longer than he remembers – and those eyes just as dark with that _something_ inside staring back at him, and suddenly he can't breathe.

He couldn't face her... _morgan... _that day and he doesn't think he can now, but she's staring up at him with those eyes and her head tilting and chin jutting in _that way_ and without preamble she says, "_Underoos_."

There's soft laughter and Mrs. Stark is leaning against the living room's doorway, a barely restrained smile on her thin lips as she shakes her head. "Tony talked about you all the time," She supplies the answer before he can ask anything. "Those were her favorite bedtime stories, the Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman ones."

"I... uh..." He crouches down to the little girl's level on instinct. There's a lock of hair – unruly and flipped up – and he brushes it away, carefully tucking it behind her ear. "I'm Peter." He manages.

"I _know_," And he chokes out a laugh because she rolls her eyes and her tone is exasperated. Addressing him in the same way _someone else_ used to. "Daddy always said you'd come back. And he was never wrong, so that's why you're here. Cause he said."

"I know this is hard," There's Mrs. Stark, gently touching the back of his neck, fingers briefly carding through the hair at his nape. "But Tony left something for you. Happy's been clearing out the workspace – it's smaller than you're used to – storing the tech and giving whatever belonged to the others, to them but you're different."

"D-different?" Peter's brow furrows and there's a put upon sigh from the little girl he's still crouching in front of. She rolls her eyes again before her eyebrows knot together in this specific way and her eyes narrow, almost like she's peering from behind tinted glasses. "Daddy said you were _smart_. Shouldn't you know why you're different? You're my big brother. That's what he always said."

"What?" A heavy gasp, the word thudding off his tongue. "Uh-uh," Morgan nods vigorously. "He said I was lucky. Cause you're..." She looks around before standing on her tip toes, lips inches away from his ear and she cups her hand around her mouth as she whispers to him, "_Spiderman_." A brief giggle before she's staring back at him, cherubic face completely serious. "But it's a secret. No one else is supposed to know. I pinkie swore I wouldn't tell. And I won't."

"Yeah," Shaky as he pulls her close, on instinct, with trembling hands. "I am." He doesn't say so but as he drops a kiss to the crown of her head he thinks _i'm gonna keep you safe. you'll never be afraid, no one is ever gonna hurt you. _

Through a red rimmed gaze Pepper takes in the scene, lips trembling as she blinks back tears, knowing how much Tony wanted _this_... Peter and Morgan to meet, to be the big brother and little sister he said they were and now they would be.

* * *

Happy leads Peter – after he promises Morgan he won't stay away anymore, that he'll be back as often as he can – to the workspace that's off to the side of the garage, and just as Pepper said, it's smaller than he was used to. But it's not hard – with the two classic cars in the space, the specs everywhere, table in the middle and mini fridge in the corner – to imagine Tony tinkering here. Here where he figured out the secret to time travel, here where Morgan probably toddled in always under his feet begging him to play or for her to see. There's a suitcase – silver and gleaming – in the middle of the table and Happy just claps his hand on Peter's shoulder and says, "I'll be back."

How long he stares at the suitcase, he doesn't know. Minutes, maybe even hours later, he flips open the clasps and there's a note. Hasty scribble he would recognize anywhere.

_spider-boy, crime-fighting-spider, spiderling... _all crossed out and then in bold slapdash capital letters _UNDEROOS_ and he swears he can hear Tony's laughter in his head underneath is name – printed neatly and with care – _Peter _

_in between discovering the secret of time travel and eating the last juice pop with ms morgoona [that's your sister by the way, morgan h. stark and she's my whole world... well, you know besides pep and my forehead of security, hap and my rhodey bear (cool it with that mr. rhodes stuff btw he's not **that** important) and you know **you**], i figured – if this whole time travel thing **actually** works, i should really give you an upgrade of some kind._

_and, uh, that's what i did._

_there's more web combinations, space capbalilites because i had to account for you stowing away on alien space donuts that you should have never been on in the first place and y'know fewer security protocols. no training wheels, no baby monitors now, __**spiderman**__. _

_anyway... there's also, uh, a new ai in here, too. he's pretty cool, if i do say so myself. and he'll be there every step of the way._

_it goes without saying, if you're reading this, i didn't make it and don't even think about the wouldves the couldves or the shouldves. i knew what i was doing, what i had to do. you, that princess of yours [have you made a move btw cause you might want to do so before she's like betrothed to some prince or something, not that i'm saying the most technologically advanced nation still deals in arranged marriages but y'never know, so chop chop] and the little miss are the future just like that friend nedly of yours and the scary girl mickey james or whatever her name is and that's why i did what i did. you're capable of so much more than i ever was at your age. don't forget that._

_the neighborhood needs spiderman but the world needs peter benjamin parker._

_you're gonna change it. there's a slot at mit with your name on it. so move on, go forward, crack a million eggs along the way. you're going to refraim the future._

_love,_

_tony_

He expected another suit staring back at him... the familiar oval eyes set into the mask, but there was no suit. His brows creased and then there was a red glow and a beeping and before he realized what was happening a mechanized spider – no bigger than the heft of his palm – was crawling onto his hand. He didn't know what to do so he touched it with his other hand and there was another beep before he saw the spider disappear into tiny little particles. The particles soon engulfed his whole hand before spreading up his entire arm and then across his chest and down his other arm and his back and legs.

Looking down he realized he was wearing the upgraded suit. It wasn't that different than the suit he wore in space; the same red and blue design his original home made suit and the first suit Tony made him were, but instead of having to carry it in his back pack, he realized it would be housed in the spider... it was nano-tech.

_wow_, he gasped. He touched the side of his neck and suddenly his face was covered. _whoa_... the suit's interface appeared, glowing red and then he heard _it_... **long time no see, mr. parker**

* * *

That night Peter was on the firescape, the spider – which doubled as a watch, so no one would be the wiser – on his wrist, feet dangling and a number five from Delmar's half eaten at his side as he tossed the Kimoyo in the air. He should probably call (?), activate it... He swallowed thickly she had just been trying to help, to comfort him and he... His head thudded against the building's brick exterior as he leaned back and groaned, eyes tilting toward the sky.

"Stupid," He grumbled. "So stupid. Ugh, now she'll_ never_ want to talk to me again. I've been ignoring her this whole time. She's probably forgotten about me, anyway. It's been weeks and every time this thingy lights up, I don't do anything. Way to go, Parker. Your first date is a disaster because said date's dad turned out to be this evil master mind flying vulture guy and your second chance... you screwed that up, too."

"**Ahem**," The watch on his wrist beeps and before he can blink, there's the suits interface staring back at him. "**So I guess – from all of that whining – you still haven't made your move. Did you learn nothing from me? I mean nothing at all? I'm disappointed. Very disappointed." **The AI huffs and Peter swears he can see Tony pacing and gesticulating, hands moving every which way before he comes to a complete stop and just stares – penetratingly – over the rims of his signature glasses. **"Enough about my disappointment. You, Mr. Parker, need to get your head in the game. You better be taking notes, by the way. I don't dispense my legendary romantic advice to just any one. And don't even think about going to Rhodey about your princess. He's useless. Trust me. Now, listen up, kiddo. School is in session."**

* * *

"You are not, Peter," Shuri knew she shouldn't have expected to see the boy's familiar delicate swoop of dark hair and freckled face staring back when her Kimoyo lit up. He had only used the device a handful of times after her visit and she hadn't heard from him since... She bit the inside of her cheek at the thought. She should have never tried to approach him at the funeral. They – technically – barely knew each other.

"You're pretty," The sharp voice of the little girl with the intelligent dark eyes brings Shuri back to the here and now. "I always wanted to meet a _real_ Princess. Daddy said I was one," A roll of her eyes. "But I knew better. Peter," A soft giggle as her eyes dart over her shoulder before she turns back. "Talks about you _all_ the time. Your lab is _so cool_," Her eyes go bright, her smile nearly blinding and the pieces instantly click for Shuri. The subtle swoop in her long, dark hair, those eyes and the jut of her chin, she doesn't have to say her name for the Princess to know _who _she is.

"Fuck!" A panicked yelp and there's Peter suddenly appearing, the eyes of his mask blinking rapidly before the mask dissolves revealing his wild hair and frazzled features. Shuri gasps because _that's_ nano-tech and when did he have time to upgrade his suit? "Fuck!" A girlish squeal and then giggle from Morgan, which makes Shuri laugh. "Fuck!" She repeats again.

"N-no-no, no, no." Peter mumbles, rushing toward the little girl. "_That _is a bad word. A very, very, _very _word." He intones, jaw set tight and ticking. "You're not supposed to say _that _ever again. Not until you're, like, a hundred. No, not until _you're_ two hundred. Five hundred, even. Okay?"

"But you said it," Shuri can tell the little girl's lower lip is thrust forward and trembling. It's a trick she used on T'Challa many times. _Smart girl_, she thinks proudly. She can see Peter melt instantly, his whole face relaxing as he gives a heavy sigh and tenderly brushes her swoop of hair away from her forehead before cupping her cheek and laughing, "All right, what's it going to cost me for you to promise you'll never say it again? Dessert before dinner? All four corner pieces of the Sicilian Pie from Mario's? A Delmar's number five?"

"Noooooooo," The little girl wheedles. "Adventure," She murmurs. "But _I_ get to be Spiderman."

"And what else?" Shuri giggles at how well Peter seems to know her. She can see the little girl's features go bright as she says, "All the grape juice pops and a slumber party with a fort outside."

"All the grape juice pops? _All_ of them? I can't have one?"

"Make a move first, Underoos and then maybe I'll change my mind." She promptly turns away and turns back to the young girl in her lab. "If Petey does make a move, do I get my own beads?"

"You, uh, um... don't, like, have to answer that." There's Peter's face, the tips of his ears bright red and she can see the heat rushing over his cheeks and soon the length of his neck. "It's past her bed time. She's had too much sugar. Happy, uh, spoils her and stuff. Moves will not be made without your explicit consent cause it's 2019 and if you do not want moves to be made, they will not be. I'm, uh, going to tuck her in and I... Wow," He laughs softly, shaking his head. "Don't know how to turn the Kimoyo," He stumbles over the word. "Off. Don't move. Or if you have to go I get it. It's late here, early there, right? You're busy and stuff. Don't um wait up. I'll just call? Activate? Jeez..."

"I do not have anywhere important to be," She says softly, peering from behind the fringe of her lashes. She has not been shy since she was a child, always hiding behind Babba's robes or Umama's skirts, but she feels shy right now... Hopelessly vulnerable because she never thought he'd ever contact her again.

"Okay, then," A relieved breath falling from his pert lips. "I'll be back. C'm on, Miss Morgoona, it's bed time."

* * *

"This is gonna be really lame," Peter sighs, flopping down on his bed, Kimoyo in his palm. "It's not _that_ big of a deal," He murmurs, glancing at the early acceptance letter from MIT strewn on his desk in his room. "I mean, yeah, it's my dream school, but this party May's gonna throw..."

"Will be wonderful," Shuri finishes, eyes bright. Peter's heart flip flops at the sight. It's still totally _crazy_ that they don't have to Skype for video chat to see each other when they talk. He can just press the center bead in what most people would believe is some bracelet and there's his... He swallows, thickly, as the word – _girlfriend_ – curls around his brain. Was she? His palms started to get sweaty from the thought. Did she even want to be? He swears he can hear MJ's acerbic tone, _some women do not want to be labeled parker_ and then his palms sweat more.

"Do not try to talk me out of this." Her tone is firm, bringing him back. "I _want_ to be there. Why would I not want to be?"

"Because it's going to be _here_," Peter huffs, arms flailing up and down. "In an apartment in Queens that's basically a two by four with air conditioning. It's not..."

"I have always," Her eyes gleam mischeviously. "Wanted to attend an American party. Do you _really_ drink out of those red plastic cups that are ubiqutious in every teen movie? Will you have an iPod deck? Maybe a DJ? And those small sausages on toothpicks? Weenies, I believe they are called. Will you have those?"

Peter shakes his head, "There won't be a DJ. It's not a house party. Morgan's gonna be there. She can't wait to meet you. She'd hate me _forever_ if you didn't show up. You're, like, her idol. I can't believe she's already replaced me." He murmurs.

Shuri giggles briefly before her features turn soft. "You could never be replaced. You're her hero. You're _Spiderman_."

"But you're a _Princess_." His eyes go wide briefly. "A _real_ one!"

* * *

Peter seriously almost forgets to breathe when the doorbell rings and there she _is_. The first thing he should have definitely noticed were the two guards – dressed in black dresses with swooping necklines and sharp shining spears in their hands – flanking her, but as far as he was concerned nothing else in the world existed right now.

"Hi," He breathed, his eyes roaming over her lithe figure. She wore a high collared maroon long sleeved crop top, revealing just a sliver of her toned midriff and black high waisted jeans that hugged her slim hips. Black platform sneakers gave her an extra inch or two, bringing her to the same height as him. Tiny studs gleamed in the lobes of her ears. Her hair was done in intricate braids while a bun sat atop the crown of her head and tied at the center was a Spiderman novelty bow – bright red and blue with the mask in the center – which made him laugh.

"Hi," She returned just as breathless. She hoped he liked her bow. She knew Ayo and Deja thought her foolish for spending the pocket money Umama allowed her while she was here on some cheap knock off, but she thought Peter would appreciate it. His laugh and the way his eyes went a little brighter told her he did and her heart leapt.

She liked the green plaid shirt he had chosen to wear. It brought out the hazel among the darker coppers and browns of his eyes. His freckles stood out more too, she liked that most of all. The sleeves being rolled up to his elbows made her stomach flipped. It was hard not to notice the definition in his forearms during their nightly chats with the way he talked so animatedly.

The jeans he wore fit his long, lean legs nicely, as well.

"We will return promptly at midnight for the Princess." Ayo broke the spell the teens were under and Shuri couldn't help but huff. She wished it was just Deja accompanying her on the trip. Deja wouldn't have been so strict.

"Yes, Ayo." Shuri murmured dutifully. The stern woman nodded before she and the other bowed and then slipped from the room as if they were never there.

May Parker was wonderful... Everything Peter had described to Shuri and then some. Her fashion sense was amazing, too. Ned was funny and very friendly, she felt like she had known him all her life. MJ reminded Shuri of Calliope – her best friend since she was a baby – acerbic and dry but soft underneath. Shuri now had a list nearly a mile long of books to read courtesy of the quiet girl who spent most of the party chatting with Pepper Potts-Stark regarding being a female CEO in a male dominated world, clearly angling to do an internship with the formidable woman during her gap year – before Howard – and after graduating Midtown.

Harold Hogan and James Rhodes – much to Peter's chagrin – were having too much fun teasing the teenager in front of his girlfriend.

"Remember how drunk Tony was when all of the sudden he decided Peter need to get '_the talk_?'" Rhodey laughed, shaking his head. "How drunk you _and_ Tony were, you mean, Rhodes," Happy scoffed. "And how when it was over, I found a banana lying in the middle of the living room with a..."

"Okay, _that's _enough," Peter didn't know his face could get _so_ hot. "Shuri really doesn't want to hear this. She has to meet Morgan before Mrs. Stark remembers she has a bedtime and stuff. Bye."

"A banana lying in the middle of the living room with _a what_?" Shuri arches a perfect brow and Peter groans, somehow, his face is _hotter _which he didn't think was humanly possible. "With a nothing." He hisses. "Trust me you _don't_ want to hear that story. It was _embarrassing_. It's not like I didn't already get the banana demonstration in health class for, like, two straight years. They were just y'know hazing me, joking and stuff. Cause I'm so young. It's nothing."

"You're cute when you're red. Your ears are the color of the rocks at Warrior Falls." She murmurs, reaching to touch the tip of his left one. His breath catches and it all disappears with an excited yelp from Morgan, "Shuri!" who suddenly appeared.

* * *

They're on the fire escape; red solo cups half filled with now flat Coke and a plate of Mr. Delmar's famous tres leches sheet cake and forks between them. They're pressed thigh to thigh and shoulder to shoulder. Her smell of wild flowers and an unrecognizable spice – something exotic and deep – makes him take deep breath after deep breath. His smell of fresh spring soap and a lingering of cinnamon makes her lean closer and closer the more he talks.

"What about this one?" He clears his throat and leans in, catching her scent once more and his heart beats faster. "Do you have eleven protons? Cause you're sodium fine." He pulls back to do finger guns and she's nearly shaking with laughter.

They've been trading horrible science themed pick up lines since he lead her through his room and onto the fire escape, away from everyone else so they could be alone until she had to leave.

"This is waaaaay better." She proclaims. Her eyes go hooded as she peers from behind the fringe of her long lashes and she leans in, bringing her lips to hover just above his ear, "Whenever I am near you, I undergo anaerobic respiration because you take my breath away."

_don't wanna get ahead of myself_

_feeling things i've never felt_

_it's kinda hard for me to explain_

_her personality and everything_

_brings me to my knees, oh..._

"_beyond" - by leon bridges_

If Shuri pulled back from his ear first or if Peter turned his head, neither knows but suddenly their lips are pressed against each other's. The kiss is soft and tentative, neither pressing too hard or moving with much insistence. Slowly, her lips open for him and his tongue ventures to tangle with hers. His fingers sink into the thick wave of her braids, pulling her closer and she anchors herself by winding her arms around his neck.

They're gasping, chests heaving in a mirrored rythym, lips equally swollen and cheeks running hot.

"Peter," And _whoa_ if he kissed her again – like he wants to – would she say his name like _that_ again?

He takes his chance, angling his head once more and breathes her in before slanting their lips together. When they pull apart, she's all the way in his lap and their foreheads are pressed together as her name, heavy and soft all at once, tumbles off his kiss-swollen lips, "Shuri," and she would _never_ say so aloud but she _swoons_.

* * *

_she shines me up like gold on my arm_

_i wanna take it slow but it's so hard_

_i love to see her face in the daylight_

_it's more than just our bodies at night_

_but she's really tempting me, oh..._

Two whole weeks... _two... whole... weeks_ in Wakanda for the summer. It's technically winter there but still warm enough that it reminds Peter of what May called Indian Summers when he was growing up... when fall took longer to come and the leaves wouldn't start changing until November instead of September and it would still be muggy at night.

When they aren't in her lab (and seriously do i have to leave, he asks as soon as he sets foot in the all white space), they're walking through the city's bazaars and food courts and she's showing him all the different tribes. He begs to go back to the Border Tribe again and again, not believing he _actually_ pet and fed a baby _rihno_. He sent Ned all the selfies.

"Cannon ball!" He shouts diving off a steep cliff at the Hot Springs that belong to the River Tribe and she squeals, trying to swim away before he can splash her. She doesn't get far and he laughs when she glares, eyes narrowed into slits. "You're luck you're cute." She huffs, nose high in the air.

"Yeah," He asks, his voice low and husky. There's something about being _here_ in her space, her home – surrounded by the things she was when she was growing up – that makes him bolder than he would be otherwise. He seriously – despite the lessons from his AI and Rhodey and Happy about girls – has no clue what he's doing, but she's so _pretty_ right now in her colorful green, red yellow and black patterned one piece with the back in criss crosses and there's all this skin – silky and chocolate – and he reaches for her, pulling her close.

"Peter," She's saying his name like _that_ – soft and warm – her cinnamon flavored breath fanning over his lips and she's closer now, no space at all between them and he kisses her. Harder and more insistent than ever. Her fingers card through his hair, like she can't get him close _enough _and if they didn't _need_ air, he doubts they would have come up for it.

_do you think i'm being foolish if i don't rush in_

It happens after he attends T'Challa and Nakia's engagement party. Her ceremonial outfit – that she wrinkles her nose at, huffing and pouting about _traditions_ and _whyyyyyy umama_ – steals every ounce of air from his lungs. He doesn't understand why she's complaining. The deep purple and silver of the dress wraps around her perfectly revealing parts of her and glimpses of skin he's never seen but wants to see _more_ of. The heels she's _really_ complaining about make her taller, but he doesn't mind.

He likes the beads – silver and gleaming – that go from her right nostril to wrap around her head and the silver bracelet – complete with panther head – that wraps around the toned portion of her upper arm. What he likes most is the dress's length, how it flows behind her like a waterfall and the way she moves – so graceful but with tha unmistakable Shuri step – in it.

They dance – him trying his best to follow her steps when it comes to the traditional dances – until their feet hurt and they're leaning on each other, neither quiet able to stand.

His hair – the heat is sweltering – sticks to his forehead, her makeup runs a little – mascara smudging slightly, lip gloss nearly wiped away – but neither has thought other could look better. The kiss is soft, sweeter than their recent ones have been and she pulls away quickly – heels clacking across the palac'es golden floor – as she rushes to her personal Dora Deja. She whispers in the austere woman's ear and before Peter can blink, she's back. Her hand captures his and she's dragging him through the throng, not paying any mind or that they should be staying until Ramonda takes her leave. She pushes him against the wall just outside of her personal chambers, attacking his lips with a fervor and then they're pressed against each other, flushed and nearly sticking as they come up for air.

_i'm scared to death that she might be it_

_that the love is real_

_that the shoe might fit_

Peter brushes his lips against her shoulder as she peers at him through the length of her lashes, copper eyes so warm and honest his heart nearly forgets to beat. Her legs are tangled with his, one of his arms slung over her slim waist while the other plays with the braids of her hair. She laughs, softly, when his foot touches her calf, nearly jumping from the coolness of his skin.

"Sorry," He blushes, burying his face against her neck. "It's okay." She's blushing too. This pretty pink tinge that makes her chocolate skin brighter, somehow, and he never wants it to go away.

"I'm scared," He can't stop himself, his confession low and rushed. "This... I've never... there was only... This girl... Before you, just one, no one else. Except like y'know Penny from The Big Bang Theory or Buffy and stuff. They don't count, though. There was just _her_ and I know your Dad's not going to turn out be a super villian and oh..." He stops himself, mouth dropping open, briefly because how could he _be_ so stupid. "Never mind, forget I said..."

"I'm scared, too," She admits, rolling over so her front is pressed to his. She links their hands together and brings her forehead to rest against his. "But we shouldn't let what we've seen, what we've been through stop _this_. There was no one before you. Just stupid crushes," Her nose wrinkles, briefly. "That would never be anything like this."

"Yeah," He agrees. "I... I, um," He swallows, Adam's apple bobbing. "I love you." And he does... Everyone will say it's too soon, they're too young, he still has to finish his senior year, she's literally half way across the world, but they've seen _things_... things normal teenagers never will. He was bitten by a radioactive spider, she's a princess, he fought Captain America, Iron Man became his mentor, she helped her brother take back their Kingdom, they saved the _universe_.

"I love you, too," A heartfelt whisper right above his heart, her lips sealing the benediction with a kiss.

She knows what they will all say – Umama telling her not to rush, T'Challa sagely counseling her as if he hadn't been in love with Nakia since they could barely spell, Okoye cautioning her – and technically they will be right. He's literally halfway across the world, he hasn't graduated yet, when he does he'll still be half way across the world (but maybe she won't. t'challa had studied at oxford after all), she's a princess, but they've seen _things_... things normal teenagers never will.

And that – those things they've seen – will bond them tighter than others could ever be.

In this moment, Peter's arms wrapped around Shuri, holding her close as their eyes closed and sleep over took them, they both understood that sometimes things needed to end so others could begin.

_she just might be my everything and beyond (beyond)_

_song used "beyond" by leon bridges_


End file.
